Now that 2023 is halfway done, let’s take a look at 10 of the best alternative posters released in the past six months. Have we missed a masterpiece? Feel free to tell us in comments or replies!
Akira (Bottleneck Gallery)
Artist Morgan Girvin
Morgan Girvin’s colourful yet gritty tribute to Akira packs a ton of architectural detail into its vision of Neo-Tokyo, as we see a biker head into the heart of this wretched metropolis.
Judge Dredd (Rebellion)
Artist Matt Ferguson
Poster superstar Matt Ferguson offers a vision of another futuristic hive of villainy in his ode to Judge Dredd. Making the rainy neon-lit city the focus of the piece makes it look classy and, let’s face it, more serious than the film actually is.
Solaris (D&L)
Artist Katherine Lam
Katherine Lam’s somber, desaturated piece looks more like a book cover than a movie poster — a fitting mood for a movie known for its emotional depth and range of interpretations. (We are, of course, talking about the Andrei Tarkovsky adaptation.) Fun fact: the novel the film is based on was written by Stanislaw Lem. Lem and Lam, get it?
Decision to Leave
Artist Akiko Stehrenberger
This poster, commissioned to celebrate the film’s release on streaming platforms, is stunning in its simplicity. The work with negative space is sublime, as is the overall watercolor look.
American Psycho (Mondo)
Artist Leslie Herman
Leslie Herman brings a fun, graphic novel energy for one of the most famous horror films of the 90’s. For extra credit, this is a screenprinted poster, too — Patrick Bateman would be jealous.
Blade Runner
Artist Laurent Durieux
Blade Runner has no shortage of fantastic alternative posters, most of which tend to focus on the film’s memorable cyberpunk aesthetic. However, Laurent Durieux went in a different direction with a poster set that showcases the more human aspects of the film with a soft, subdued look.
Edward Scissorhands (Gallery 1988) –
Artist Ian Glaubinger
Ian Glaubinger’s playful choice to style his Edward Scissorhands poster after a vintage ad is fitting for this cute, quirky classic and makes the poster really stand out among more realistic brethren.
War of the Worlds
Artist Killian Eng
Killian Eng’s design goes all in when showcasing the scope and horror of the alien invasion. The poster exists in two versions — colour and monochrome and it’s hard to pick which of the two is more impactful.
Metropolis (Bottleneck Gallery)
Artist JS Rossbach
JS Rossbach seamlessly blends a painterly look with art deco elements (and a human aspect with a robotic one) in this stunning tribute to a classic of early cinema.
Ghost in the Shell
Artist Krzysztof Domaradzki
To bring things full circle, let’s end this list with another detailed anime poster for another cult favorite, Ghost in the Shell. The overall vibe is of a graphic novel mixed with an old VHS cover, and one can get lost just trying to count all the scenes and characters represented here.
